Featured image by Marco Calderon: Director Christopher Burris works with the cast of “\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi,” on stage at Muhlenberg College Oct. 26-29<\/p>\n
Mythology by the Mississippi Allentown, Pa. (Oct. 13, 2023) \u2014 \u201cThe world is a quilt and each story a thread,\u201d writes playwright Marcus Gardley in the introduction to his play “\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi.” \u201cSometimes the threads overlap.\u201d<\/p>\n This image resonated with Christopher Burris, who’s directing Gardley’s play this semester for Muhlenberg\u2019s Theatre & Dance Department. It struck him as an apt metaphor for the play \u2014 but also evoked a beloved chapter in his own story. The show runs Oct. 26-29 in the college’s Studio Theatre.<\/p>\n \u201cMy great-grandmother was a quilter,\u201d says Burris, a guest artist with the department. \u201cI used to thread her needles. When my great-grandmother died, her quilts felt like pieces of her. The play is a way to give her a bit of applause through my work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That quilt motif drives the storytelling of the play \u2014 and also inspires design elements of the production, such as You-Shin Chen’s scenic design, with its patchwork aesthetic, and the music selected for the play by musical consultant Amanda Davis, a tapestry of Black spirituals, hymns and gospel songs.<\/p>\n \u201cA quilt is something we make from the scraps,\u201d Burris says. \u201cI think that speaks to a lot of the things we’ve had to do to become our best selves culturally as Black Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n “\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi” is a poetic retelling of the myth of Demeter and Persephone set during the Civil War and narrated by the Mississippi River. After running away from a plantation, a father searching for his daughter is lynched and resurrected in the fertile, war-torn landscape of Louisiana. The lyrical play combines traditional storytelling and music with a wicked sense of humor to create a rich, imaginative world that allows trees to preach, rivers to waltz, and Jesus to moonwalk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy first impression of the play was \u2018Wow!\u2019\u201d Burris says. \u201cThe beauty of the language and the strength of the visuals really excited me.\u201d<\/p>\n The play was written in 2004 by Obie Award-winning playwright Marcus Gardley. Gardley is currently rising to prominence as the screenwriter for the forthcoming movie musical “The Color Purple,” produced by Oprah Winfrey. He calls “\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi” his \u201csignature play.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is based upon a story my great-grandmother used to tell,\u201d Gardley says, \u201cabout her father who fled the bonds of slavery and traveled the country in search of his family.\u201d<\/p>\n Burris says the play stitches together a powerful story of spirituality and Blackness: \u201cI think this is the right time for this story. It can spark so many conversations we are having right now \u2014 about who we want to be as a country.\u201d<\/p>\n Assistant director Devyn Jarvis \u201924 says that in rehearsal, these conversations have often focused on the ways that Blackness, gender and spirituality interact with one another.<\/p>\n \u201cThe play shows how intersectionality between gender, race and sex interact in a real way,\u201d Jarvis says. \u201cYou can\u2019t acknowledge one with acknowledging the other, or else you\u2019re missing something. The play does a good job of capturing the totality of Blackness.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the nine principal characters, an ensemble of Union and Confederate soldiers serves as a sort of Greek chorus. Music also plays a significant role in the play.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are times in the play where it feels like it\u2019s the music holding and sustaining the stories we\u2019re telling,\u201d Burris says. \u201cThe music is important not only to the story, but also to the experience of Black America.\u201d Artist and sound engineer Amanda Davis works as a musical consultant for the show, with Samuel Antonio Reyes serving as choreographer.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hope and desire is to create a piece that is meaningful, not just fun and entertaining,\u201d Burris says. \u201cWe want to make an impact beyond the run of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n Performances of \u201c…And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi\u201d are Oct. 26-29, 2023: Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m & 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Performances are in the Studio Theatre, in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College. Public tickets are $15. Tickets for LVAIC students, faculty and staff are $8. Tickets and information are available at\u00a0muhlenberg.edu\/seeashow<\/a>\u00a0or 484-664-3333. <\/p>\n Information Provided By: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Featured image by Marco Calderon: Director Christopher Burris works with the cast of “\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi,” on stage at Muhlenberg College Oct. 26-29 Mythology by the Mississippi \u00a0 … Continue reading ‘\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi’ at Muhlenberg<\/span>
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\nContent Advisory:<\/b>\u00a0“\u2026And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi” is a thought-provoking theatrical production that explores themes of race, religion, and social justice through a blend of poetic language and vivid storytelling. The play addresses sensitive and mature subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences. A complete content advisory is available on the website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nScott Snyder
\nMarketing Manager
\nMuhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance<\/p>\n
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